BY Rachel Monahan, NY DAILY NEWS
Crown Heights residents and elected officials charge the city has reneged on a promise not to overburden the neighborhood when its homeless intake center is moved there.
Residents are angry that the city hasn’t yet found a site for a Manhattan facility to serve that borough’s homeless and keep Crown Heights from becoming overwhelmed when the intake center at the Bedford-Atlantic Armory on Atlantic Ave. is opened.
“The Manhattan intake center is still a fantasy, and if it exists, it’s shrouded in secrecy,” said Councilwoman Letitia James (WFP-Crown Heights).
“Because [the city] acted in bad faith, we are forced to defend the community,” James added. “I am preparing the community for the lawsuit of all lawsuits.”
She expects to make a formal announcement about the community’s first legal action at a March8 press conference if the matter isn’t resolved by then.
City Department of Homeless Services officials defended its agreements, saying the agency “has made a commitment to open a Manhattan intake site and will do so.”
Homeless Services officials also have promised to limit the number of homeless people at the Brooklyn center to 230.
But the city has not applied for approval for a new Manhattan site, said officials with the state Office of Temporary Disability. The agency received the city’s request to approve Brooklyn site in late November.
It’s one of the signs Crown Heights leaders and residents point to in questioning the city’s intentions.
“We don’t think they’ve been straightforward with us,” said Assemblyman Karim Camara (D-Crown Heights). “Is there going to be a facility in Manhattan?”
City Councilman Bill de Blasio, who heads the Council’s General Welfare committee, held hearings on the status of the Manhattan intake center last month but hasn’t yet extracted an answer about where that facility will be located.
“The administration’s lack of answers on homelessness is deeply disturbing,” he said. “They have said they will open a new facility, but they haven’t said when, where or how.
“The city has until our next hearing in March to make good on their promises, and present a full plan for how they will handle homeless intake in Manhattan.”
I’m missing something here. How does this impact us? We have so many crazies here sitting on stoops & begging that a few more won’t be noticeable.
Maybe we should start street cleaning now?